Stephen A. Smith has a take ready for just about anything, regardless of how touchy and uncomfortable it might be. Amidst the extensive charges against rap mogul Diddy, the First Take personality gives his take. However, people also wanted to make sure he's covering all his bases and ask for his thoughts on the Garth Brooks sexual assault allegations. Naturally, he obliges.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Recently, Stephen A. Smith responds to the Garth Brooks saga on his personal show he hosts outside of ESPN. There, he digs deeper into subjects he wouldn't cover on their programming. Moreover, he tackles the Garth Brooks story and prefaces by saying he finds everything he's been accused of as completely unacceptable. "The first thing I want to say is that anybody guilty of sexual assault should be under the d--n jail," he emphasizes. "I'm not feeling any sympathy whatsoever for anybody who's been guilty of sexual assault. Raping a woman? Nobody should get away with that. But that's not the reason I wanted to tackle this subject today."
Stephen A. Smith Thinks It's Refreshing That Garth Brooks is Defending Himself If He's Truly Innocent
However, Stephen A. does afford some measure of grace to Garth Brooks. Given his innocence, he cosigns the country star's willingness to defend himself rather than go completely dark. "I'm saying if - and only if - he is innocent of what he is being accused of, it's a bit refreshing to hear somebody come out and defend themselves. I don't advise it under most circumstances," he explains. I say let talk all the nonsense they want to talk because there's nothing you can do about rumors and innuendo. You gotta just take it. But he's saying there's certain things you can't take. There's certain things you can't take at all. I'm saying, if you're innocent... his actions since those allegations became public are what you like to see. Now we have to see how things fall out and go from there."
Stephen A. Smith's take comes on the heels of Garth Brooks responding to a woman's sexual assault allegations towards him. He vigorously maintains his innocence in the lawsuit against him. Additionally, he counters with a lawsuit of his own, claiming defamation of character and that she's only after hush money. Ultimately, Garth stands firm in just wanting to perform and let the courts take it from there. "I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now," Brooks writes in a statement. "I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be."
